A Last Wish Before Dying
by Esm3rald
Summary: TVD 3x22. Damon makes a wish before dying at Alaric's hand and this changes everything between him and Elena. In which Damon doesn't compel Elena to forget, he's the one who saves her the night her parents die and he already knows that Katherine is not in the tomb. Series rewrite with Delena from the start. It will follow the seasons as closely as possible but without Stelena.
1. Prologue

**A LAST WISH BEFORE DYING**

**Summary: '**_The Departed' 3x22. Damon is about to die, about to be killed by the shadow of his best friend Alaric, when he thinks about what would have happened if he had never compelled Elena to forget their first meeting and if it had been him and not Stefan to save her on Whickery Bridge. But he especially thinks about what would have happened if he had already known that Katherine was never in the tomb when he had first met Elena. If he had been different when he had first met her, maybe Elena would have never fallen for Stefan in the first place. He tries to imagine what could have been like, almost wishing for things to be different even if he knows that it's just a pipe dream. That wish, however, is enough to change everything for him. __**Seasons Rewrite with Delena from the beginning.**_

_**Like you can read from the summary, this will be a series rewrite with Damon and Elena as a couple from the beginning. Stefan will still be in the story though, only not with Elena as his girlfriend. Damon's spirit - or whatever you want to call it - went back in time but he doesn't have any memories of the future. However, what he felt for Elena at the end of Season 3 stayed with him, so Damon is pretty much in love with Elena even if he doesn't remember why and he doesn't understand what he's feeling at the moment. So the Damon in this story will be like he was in season3, not the Damon of the first part of season1. And when he and Elena will end up together, he will be the happy version of himself like he was in the first few episodes of season5.**_

_**This story will follow the episodes as close as possible even if - obviously - there will be no Stelena in the story. But the major events of the episodes will still happen.**_

**Prologue**

**November 2010**

Damon realized that there was no way out this time. He was about to die, about to get killed by his best friend turned evil Original Vampire. He wasn't strong enough to win, he knew that. In different circumstances he wouldn't have cared much. Not that he wanted to die or anything but he wasn't afraid of it. He would have died a million times just to make sure that Elena was alive and safe. Dying like this though, it wasn't exactly like he had imagined it. He was completely alone, away from Mystic Falls and the people he cared about, once again rejected by Elena, even in the face of death and the one who was about to kill him had once been his best friend. He couldn't have left this world in a more pathetic or sad way.

He knew that he had given up but he couldn't help it. He was so tired. Tired of fighting, tired of always been the second choice, of always being seen as less than his sainted brother. Maybe it was better like this, nobody would miss him.

He couldn't stop thinking about what Elena had said to him to lessen the blow of her rejection. 'Maybe if you and I had met first'. If only she knew that they had in fact met first. Not that he thought for a minute that this would have made a difference. When he had first come to Mystic Falls, he had been full of anger and hate towards his brother and the world in general, with his switch half on, and obsessed with freeing a woman that had never been imprisoned in the first place and that had never loved him but that had been too in love with his brother.

How he wished things had been different. He wondered what would have happened if, when he had first met Elena, he had already found out about Katherine. If he hadn't spent the last 150 years in love with a woman that wanted to have nothing to do with him. If he had never compelled Elena to forget their first meeting. If he had been the one who had saved her the night her parents had died instead of Stefan.

Would he have a chance then? Or Elena would have still fallen in love with his brother.

Alaric hovered above him, ready to stake him and Damon allowed himself to rethink about his first meeting with Elena. Elena's smiling, flirty face was the last thing he saw before been plunged into darkness.

**May 2009**

Elena walked away from the party in the woods and reached the side of the street, talking on the phone with her best friend Bonnie while waiting for her parents to come pick her up.

"I know Bonnie, you're right! You and my mom both are. I just can't bring myself to tell him...at least not tonight! I'll call you later."

She had a fight with her boyfriend Matt about their future together because every time Elena thought about the future, she couldn't seem to imagine Matt as a part of it, at least not as the person she was supposed to spend her life with. Elena wanted Matt in her life but lately she had realized that she saw Matt more as a friend than as a boyfriend. She had realized - in short - that she wasn't in love with him.

She had even talked to her mother about it and her mother had told her that she needed to let him go, that it wasn't fair to continue stringing him along if she didn't feel for him what Matt felt for her. Elena knew that her mother was right of course, she was just afraid of losing him. But Miranda had said that it wasn't about losing him, it was about letting him free.

She had just hanged up when she found herself face to face with a very attractive man with dark hair and blue eyes. "Katherine!" The man said to her, looking at her in anger, almost hate. "What are you doing here?"

Elena looked at him, astonished and a little afraid, before checking behind her if he was maybe talking to someone else.

"No, No – um – I – I'm Elena" Elena answered hesitantly back at him when she realized that he was in fact talking to her.

The man looked at her surprised now, his brow furrowed a little in confusion "Oh, you – you just look…" He stopped talking for a second, shook his head and then continued, his tone a little more relaxed, now smiling at her slightly "I'm sorry, you just really remind me of someone. I'm Damon". He said, coming closer to her.

Elena smiled back at him a little but she was still cautious "Not to be rude or anything, Damon, but it's kind of creepy that you're out here in the middle of nowhere".

Damon smirked at that "You're one to talk. You're out here all by yourself".

Elena smiled amused before answering with a shrug of her shoulders "It's Mystic Falls. Nothing bad ever happens here".

Damon looked at her without saying anything and for a few seconds there was silence between them.

Then Elena started to talk again, explaining why she was there in the first place "Got into a fight with my boyfriend".

Damon looked curious at her "About what? May I ask" He said, rising his arms in a sign of surrender.

Elena shrugged casually "Life, future, he's got it all mapped out".

Damon looked at her intently before asking "And you don't want it?"

Elena smiled ironically at him "I don't know what I want"

Damon shook his head a little, skeptical "Well, that's not true. You want what everybody wants".

Elena was amused now "What, mysterious stranger who has all the answers?"

Damon laughed a little at her cheek before answering "Hm, well, let's just say I've been around a long time. I've learned a few things".

Elena smiled at him, enjoying the conversation with him now. "So, Damon, tell me. What is it that I want?"

Damon came closer towards her before replying, his tone serious and intent, almost piercing her with his eyes "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, and adventure, and even a little danger".

Elena looked at him surprised, affected deeply by his words before shaking herself out of it and asking him "So, what do you want?"

Damon hesitated a little at her question and in that moment, her parents pulled up, honking their horn to warn her that they had arrived.

"It's my parents" Elena said in explanation, looking behind her. When she turned around again, she found Damon a breath away from her face. Elena looked at him transfixed while he talked to her "What I want is for you to get everything you're looking for" He said with a gentle smile. "I hope we'll see each other again. Goodnight, Elena". Elena blinked and when she opened her eyes, Damon was gone.

* * *

Damon had hidden himself from view, standing behind one of the trees in the forest, watching Elena climb into her parents' car. He was still in shock over her impossible alikeness with Katherine. They were completely identical except for their hair. Katherine's hair had always been curly while Elena's were perfectly straight. For the rest they could have passed for twins.

When he had first seen her, he had really thought she was Katherine and had been prepared to show her exactly how much anger and resentment he harbored towards her. But then he had realized that her heart had sped up when she had seen him and had not stayed at the steady and slow rhythm of a vampire. This girl was human.

The hair was not the only difference between Katherine and Elena however. While Katherine's eyes had always been cold and distant, Elena's were warm. She was pure and innocent in contrast to Katherine's closed off and manipulative behavior.

He couldn't help but being curious about her, though her appearance should serve as an admonition to stay away from her.

He left as soon as he saw the car disappear from his line of vision and made his way through the woods, hoping to stumble into a camper to compel himself dinner.

About twenty minutes later, no human in sight, he heard it. Tires screeching, a car had just hit the river below Whickery Bridge. For a second he stayed immobile, wondering to himself if he should bother at all to see what was going on but then he started to run, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He couldn't be sure that it was her inside that car of course, but something told him that it was. He didn't know why he felt so worried all of a sudden. It wasn't like he knew her well or anything. He had just met her. And yet, he couldn't bear the idea of her dying.

He arrived at the sight of the accident a few seconds later and he didn't lose any time in getting rid of his leather jacket and jumping over the bridge. The water was cold but it didn't bother him, one of the perks of being a vampire. He noticed the car immediately, completely submerged in water. He swam closer to it and looked inside, immediately seeing the unconscious form of Elena in the back seat. The man in the driver seat, probably her father, was still awake while the woman next to him was unconscious. The man gesticulated towards his daughter, clearly telling him to save her, but Damon didn't need to be told since he had every intention of getting her out of the car as soon as possible. He opened the car door and snapped the belt still around Elena before taking her into his arms. He swam with her in his arms until they reached the surface before bringing her to shore.

Elena was still unconscious so he immediately used CPR on her to get her to wake up. Fortunately, it didn't take long for her to regain consciousness, spluttering water all over the sand she was laying on.

She opened her eyes slowly, struggling to focus on his form before whispering "Damon?" while looking at him questioningly. A second later she seemed to realize what was going on and said, her tone distressed "My parents!".

Damon shook his head, hugging her tightly to himself to give her comfort "I'm sorry Elena". He hadn't even tried to go back to them, knowing that too much time had passed since he had gotten Elena out of the water for her parents to still be alive.

"No, no, no" She kept repeating, squeezing his shirt in her hands. Damon tried to calm her down, caressing her hair and letting her cry. A few seconds later he felt her sagging against him, obviously having lost consciousness again.

He called the ambulance - fortunately having left his phone in the pocket of his jacket - and waited for it to arrive. He took one last look at Elena's unconscious form before leaving. He had a lot of things to think about.


	2. Interlude - Aftermaths of an Accident

**This is just a brief chapter before the real fun begins. From the next chapter and on, the story will follow the TV Show. So next chapter, will follow the events of the Pilot but without the 'Stelena' parts obviously - that's why I'm writing the story after all. I hope you like this anyway. Please, read and review!**

**Interlude - Aftermaths of an Accident**

**May 2009**

Stefan was hunting in the woods near Whickery Bridge when he heard the car accident. He run, wanting to help whoever was in trouble but when he arrived, the ambulance was already there. He observed the scene from behind some trees. The local police was there too. He watched while the bodies of a man and a woman were brought out of the water. He shook his head, sadly. Then he saw her. A girl, of about seventeen years of age, brunette. The only survivor of the accident. He squinted to see her better and almost cursed out loud. "Katherine!" He whispered. But it wasn't possible. Katherine was dead. She had died in that fire in 1864. How could she be here now? He decided to observe her, to make sure it was really her or someone that - strange as it seemed - only looked like her.

* * *

Elena startled awake, a gasp making its way out of her throat. "Hey" Someone close to her was saying "Elena, calm down". She recognized Jenna's voice and turned towards her. "What? What happened?" She asked in a whisper. "You don't remember?" Jenna asked her, a frown marring her face. In a second everything that had happened, the accident, the car filled with water, Damon saving her, everything came back to her. "Mom and Dad?'" She asked, even if she already knew the answer. Jenna shook her head at her and Elena burst out crying. They hugged, trying to find comfort in each other before Elena asked about Jeremy. "Where's Jeremy?".

"He's outside. Do you want me to call him?"

"Yes, thank you". Jenna left the room for a few minutes before returning with Jeremy in tow. Elena looked at her little brother and immediately noticed his red and puffy eyes. He had obviously been crying, his face looking haggard and somehow older. They hugged each other, Jeremy telling her how glad he was that she was okay.

Those words seemed to remind Jenna of something she meant to ask Elena because she said "How were you able to get out of the car anyway? The doctors said that it's a miracle that you survived". Jenna looked both puzzled and glad. Elena smiled at her before thinking once again about Damon, the mysterious stranger she had met on the side of the road before being saved by him. "Someone got me out of the car". She whispered, her mind still immersed in thoughts of Damon. "Who?" Jeremy asked curiously. Elena shook her head, trying to return back to the present and answer her relatives' questions. "I don't know. I mean...I don't know him very well. I met him tonight, we talked a little while my parents" She tried to force the word out but it was a struggle "were driving to come pick me up. Then I woke up near the river under Whickery Bridge, and there was him, hovering over me, making sure that I was okay. I think he was probably near and must have seen the accident and tried to help. He called an ambulance and then...he was gone". Jenna and Jeremy both looked confused at that but Elena couldn't give them a more through explanation than this.

After a few more words exchanged among the three of them, Jenna and Jeremy left the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She thought about Damon for awhile, wishing she could see him again but she was so tired that it didn't take long for her to fall asleep.

* * *

Damon had compelled one of the nurses to allow him to enter Elena's room and he was now standing at the feet of her bed watching her sleep. His main reason for being here was to compel her to forget that she had ever met him but now that he was there he couldn't bring himself to actually do it.

Elena - probably sensing his presence in the room - began to stir. Damon wasn't sure if it was better for him to leave or stay and talk to her.

"Damon?" Elena's voice brought him out of his thoughts. Damon smiled at her.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" He asked her before almost cursing himself at the idiocy of the question. "Physically...I mean". He amended a second later.

"Fine, seeing that I almost drowned" Elena answered with a shrug. She propped herself up against the bed headboard, a pillow behind her back.

Damon sat on the chair next to the bed, not knowing what to say. He would have retorted with sarcasm usually, in a situation like this, but he was pretty sure Elena would not appreciate it. Her parents had just died after all. And that reminded him "I'm sorry" At Elena's questioning look he explained "For not having been able to save them".

Elena shook her head at him, a sad smile on her face. "It's not your fault. You have already done so much. You jumped in the water to save me, a complete stranger basically. Thank you, for saving me". She was saying those words because she knew it was expected of her, but Damon could see that she really didn't mean them.

"It's not your fault Elena. Don't you dare blame yourself!" Damon said in a forceful voice. Elena looked surprised at that. "How did you...?"

He didn't let her finish the question. "I saw that expression of guilt enough times on my brother's face to recognize it easily. The difference is that Stefan deserved to feel that guilt. You certainly don't. Your parents didn't die because of you Elena. It was an accident".

Elena was shaking her head in denial. "You don't understand. If it wasn't for me, they would have never crossed that bridge in the first place. It was because I called them to pick me up that they were driving there. If I hadn't gone to that stupid party, they would never have died".

"And maybe, they would have died some other way, some other day. You can't know that and beating yourself up for it is not going to serve anything. Your father told me to save you and I did. Don't waste his sacrifice by feeling sorry for yourself and wishing that you had died in your parents' place. Your parents wanted you to live. So live and be happy". At the end of Damon's speech Elena was silently crying and continuing to shake her head.

"I don't know how..." She whispered brokenly. Damon put an hand on her shoulder, feeling awkward because he had never been very good at comforting people but he wanted to try for this girl, even though he didn't know why.

"You will. In time. Maybe now it seems impossible but...you will find something to live for eventually...". Elena didn't seem convinced but didn't protest further.

"I'll leave you to sleep now. I just wanted to see you, make sure you were okay. And...to say goodbye!"

"Goodbye? You're leaving?" Elena asked a little panicked. Damon winced at the devastated expression on her face but nodded. "Yes. For a few months. I'll probably be back in September. I have a few things I have to take care of".

Elena lowered her head almost in defeat, her gaze pointed towards the blanket covering the bed. "Oh" She merely said in response.

"Hey" Damon said, taking her chin in his hand and forcing her to look at him. "I'll be back okay? We'll see each other again. And you'll have a little time for yourself, for mourning in peace and stay close to your family".

Elena nodded, her eyes wet with tears. "I'll miss you" She said in a whisper. Damon felt something tug at his heart but he ignored it, or at least tried to. When was the last time someone had said that they would miss his presence in their lives? He couldn't remember. "I'll miss you too" He said with a gentle smile that was completely foreign for him. He kissed her forehead gently and then left the room, forcing himself not to look at her one last time. He wasn't sure he would have found the strength to leave otherwise.


End file.
